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Pekka Santasalo
Head of Growth & Ventures,
Rio Tinto
Pekka Santasalo is the Head of Growth & Ventures at Rio Tinto, based in Singapore, where he leads investments into start-ups (Ventures) and the incubation of new businesses (Growth).
Pekka established the Ventures unit several years ago and has since led many investments supporting Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation and growth ambitions. The Ventures team also collaborates with Founders Factory to run a joint accelerator program for pre-seed and seed-stage start-ups. More recently, Pekka and his team launched the Growth arm, focused on identifying and scaling new businesses by leveraging novel technologies—whether developed internally at Rio Tinto or in partnership with start-ups, universities, and other innovators.
He brings 15 years of experience in the natural resources sector, including roles as General Manager of Strategy at Rio Tinto, equity analyst at Nomura, and management consultant at Wood Mackenzie. Pekka is a CFA charterholder and holds a Master’s in Finance and a Bachelor’s in Management and Economics.
Pekka established the Ventures unit several years ago and has since led many investments supporting Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation and growth ambitions. The Ventures team also collaborates with Founders Factory to run a joint accelerator program for pre-seed and seed-stage start-ups. More recently, Pekka and his team launched the Growth arm, focused on identifying and scaling new businesses by leveraging novel technologies—whether developed internally at Rio Tinto or in partnership with start-ups, universities, and other innovators.
He brings 15 years of experience in the natural resources sector, including roles as General Manager of Strategy at Rio Tinto, equity analyst at Nomura, and management consultant at Wood Mackenzie. Pekka is a CFA charterholder and holds a Master’s in Finance and a Bachelor’s in Management and Economics.
Sessions
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11-Jun-2025Impact StageScaling Startups: Lessons & Investment Insights